Senators Sanders and Warren Hearing: What Does Poverty Do To the Brain?

Senators Sanders and Warren Hearing: What Does Poverty Do To the Brain?

Senators Sanders and Warren want Americans to understand that poverty isn't just the difference between a fancy car and a junker, or between a penthouse and a tiny apartment — that the psysiological and health effects of living poverty are another powerful disadvantage low-income Americans grapple with every day.

“Stress and poverty, wondering how I’m going to feed my family tomorrow, pay my bills get the income I need to survive, takes a toll on human life,” says Sanders notes at the beginning of the hearing.

Warren and Sanders probe a panel of medical professionals and other experts about the effects of the socioeconomic level on emotional and physical health — and the results may surprise you. Be sure to pipe up with these facts next time a conservative talks about how anyone who tries hard enough in America can be successful. Because for some Americans, living in poverty is literally a death sentence.